To qualify for a Mechanical Engineer, your resume and supporting documentation must support:
A. Basic Requirement: A Bachelor's Degree or higher in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

A. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

a. Professional Registration or Licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
b. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various
States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
c. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and in engineering that included the courses specified in the Basic Requirements above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in the Basic Requirements above.
d. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g. engineering technology physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering
supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions.

B. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and is directly in or related to this position. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, to qualify for the GS-12 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:
GS-12:

• Performing complete and thorough analysis of engineering factors (i.e. mechanical, material, or other physical properties) impacting the performance or cost of manufactured items.
• Professional-level knowledge and understanding of manufacturing practices and processes to access mechanical, material, or other physical functions and estimated costs.
• Thorough and demonstrated knowledge/understanding of quality assurance practices and policies.

GS-11:

• Performing complete and thorough analysis of engineering factors (i.e. mechanical, material, or other physical properties) impacting the performance or cost of manufactured items.
• Knowledge and demonstrated understanding of general manufacturing practices and processes to access mechanical, material, or other physical functions and estimated costs.
• General knowledge and demonstrated understanding of quality assurance practices and policies.

GS-09:

• Performing basic analysis of engineering factors (i.e. Mechanical, Physical and Material properties) impacting the cost of manufactured items.
• Knowledge and demonstrated understanding of manufacturing practices and processes to access estimated costs.
• Knowledge and demonstrated understanding of quality assurance practices and policies.

GS-07:

• Performing preliminary analysis of engineering factors (i.e. Mechanical, Physical and Material properties) impacting the cost of manufactured items.
• Knowledge of manufacturing practices and processes to access estimated costs.
• Knowledge of basic quality assurance practices and policies.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.